Christmas Gifts for a 20 month old baby!

Joyi - posted on 12/21/2011

Oh, and I forgot - both really like that water coloring pad - where you fill the pen with water and it writes on the surface. The pens we got sucked, but they have as much fun using sponges, so no biggie. And if the pad gets dirty, you can throw it in the wash and just hang to dry - gotta love that!

Joyi - posted on 12/21/2011

I am getting my son a balance bike also - with two wheels that he pushes along... he has already mastered his big sister's scooter - so I figure that having his own bike will go over big! The other thing we have been doing since his last birthday is making over his bedroom as a "big boys" room... and he has actually gotten pretty into that, and so lots of his gifts from birthday and Christmas have been to decorate his room. Last Christmas he got a ride-on motorcycle that he still loves AND he loves blocks in all shapes and sizes... he took over sister's Jenga blocks... if he can stack it, then he is happy. Since he also has everything - having his sister's toys passed down to him... I ended up getting him puzzles, musical instruments, and blocks... all of these his sister had, but pieces were missing or broke or whatever. He also LOVES his Little People. He has no concept of gender appropriate toys... he is in LOVE with Tinkerbell and he plays with his sister's dolls and doll toys, like the stroller and whatnot all the time. And when his sister was that age, all she wanted to play with was cars, Lincoln logs and play tools. If you have mostly stuck with "girl" toys, I would go shopping in the aisles with the boys toys. Oh and I agree with Ruth - our DD was fascinated with magnets and now my son is... we got the (I think Leapfrog) fridge magnet that you put the letter on the deal and it says the letter name and the letter sound. And then DD also LOVED the little dress-up magnet sets - they are little tin cases with a picture of one or two girls inside that you dress in the different magnetic outfits. The other thing that I got for DD at this age that our son now plays with all the time is a table from Alex Toys - it is a chalkboard table, and the benches are chalkboard also... all the kids love that table and it is sturdy. The table also has a deal to put a paper roll in it... so the kids can easily do any kind of art they want at that table and it is pretty easy to clean up. My daughter is six and can still easily sit at the table and do homework or whatever - so the $150 or so that I spent on it has been well worth it in my opinion. I have no doubt that the table will last well past when my son outgrows it.

Ruth Anne - posted on 11/26/2010

Our DD is fascinated by magnets and she's really into her ABCs now, so she's getting a bucket of the magnetic letters and numbers for the fridge. (We can't wait!) A book or two, though she gets these as we go; a set of wooden ABC blocks. Two big gifts: instead of a dollhouse (she loves her Little People farm and I thought about a dollhouse), we're getting a Melissa and Doug castle with air miles - and some dolls to go with it to unwrap at grandma and grandpa's. And from us, a toddler-size art table and chairs that I bought on Craigslist and just need to freshen up with a coat of paint. (Including a coat of chalkboard paint for the tabletop.) We're not doing clothes this year as she'll get some from grandparents and likely more for her birthday; we did a good shopping run in the fall and should be set through the winter, we hope.

We have her big birthday gift already, though Santa may bring it early: it's a wooden toddler bike we got for her when we were posted in Germany. No pedals, 2 wheels, for her to push along with her feet. Kids in Germany learn on these and go straight to regular bikes, no training wheels, since they've already learned to balance. She loves her push-along tricycle and I can't wait to see what she does with the bike...

Kirsty - posted on 11/23/2010

Our son is also a March '09 baby who is in danger of being completely spoilt by his Dad & Grandparents! i'm trying to keep the toys rotating so that they get played with & have put away all the baby toys now. This is the time when gender-specific toys don't have to be chosen, so I'm going for a tea-set, play kitchen & a pram (even if they are in blue). I think we are going to get a scooter from ELC as they have one suitable for 2 yr olds. Learning through play is best in my book.

Korrinne - posted on 11/23/2010

i'm getting my son who is 20 mths old, the colour wonders begginings coloring pad, it plays music while they colour. the faster they colour the faster the music, since my son loves music and to danse i thought it would be great

Zahra - posted on 11/23/2010

What about a pool, or books. Maybe even the Posters you get with the ABC etc. Or elmo dvd's or something

Rachel - posted on 11/22/2010

to be honest i'm in the same boat, so me and hubby have decided that we will let grand parents do the spoiling and every time we looked or thought about buying him something then that is the amount to put into his bank account so the money is there for a later date for if and when he does need something or want something then the money is there for him if not then when he is old enough and want those exspensive trainers problem solved.

Mabyn - posted on 11/22/2010

I like the "something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read" idea. I think we kind of did that here this year as we try not to go overboard. I agree that it's so easy to do! A gift from Santa and four wrapped gifts from us I think is enough. Especially since she's getting other gifts from other family. At this age it's easy for them to feel overwhelmed and by the time everything's been unwrapped, it's no wonder they just want to play with the boxes.

Heidi - posted on 11/22/2010

I'm doing some playsilks (which I'm dyeing myself), some easier to handle blocks than her 4 year old brother uses, a few doll type items (stroller, etc.), and lots of bits and pieces. Doesn't sound like much, but there are quite a few little items and I think it is easy to set a precedent and go overboard for Christmas. Somewhere recently someone said they did "something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read". I do a bit more than that, but I try to restrain my enthusiasm. Oh, and Christmas PJs for Christmas Eve, that's one of our Christmas traditions.

Mabyn - posted on 11/22/2010

My daughter is also a March '09 baby and this year Santa is bringing her a play kitchen. Me and my husband are giving her a tea set to go with the play kitchen, a dolly stroller, a hand knit sweater and winter hat with matching mittens (that we got at a local craft fair), and a pair of jammies with a couple books. Some of the things other family members are getting her are: winter boots, a winter jacket, a wooden baby sled, mega blocks, clothes, board puzzles, and a personalized board book. One of the 2 books we bought her is "Once Upon a Potty" by Alona Frankel. They have one for boys and one for girls and I'm hoping it'll jump start her interest in potty training. We also considered getting her a potty but thought it might be too early. For her stocking (we only picked up a couple things so far), we've got a toothbrush for the next stage she's in, a wooden duck puzzle, a portable drink cup with a straw inside (the spout folds shut so no leaks!), and we're thinking of picking up some training underwear to go in it as well. Thinking ahead, we're planning on getting a tricycle for her birthday!

Hope this helps!

Lisa - posted on 11/21/2010

If she doesn't already have one and you have space those little plastic 3 wheel bikes are great, not the pedal ones but the ones the push along with their feet. My daughter is the same age as yours and just got one and loves it. My son is 4 and still loves to ride his.

Pamela - posted on 11/21/2010

my son loves art so although we are going to be away for christmas and he is just getting a few Giggle and hoots things .. in March Im going to Get him am easel and a big roll of paper as he loves all that stuff and can draw and paint for ages!

JoDee - posted on 11/20/2010

I was wondering the same thing because she has an older brother that is almost 4. So we have the cozy coupe, convertible tricycle, riding toys, kitchen, tool srts, etc. We have an outdoor climber and playhouse too. She has a lot of dolls and doll stuff too. Wr have crates of books for different ages as I have taught in early childhood for several years. She does not need clothing, so we have no idea what to get her.

Carisa - posted on 11/20/2010

We got our daughter a leapfrog laptop and a cozy coupe

Robbie - posted on 11/19/2010

my grandbaby has all kind of learning books some with sounds we just got her my baby can read and she love it, we got her a tricycle, so christmas to her has come early, as we buy it we let her play with it, so we have to get something for her to unwrap on christmas morning[she love books] now she is trying to read them herself. she just turn 20 months.

Michelle - posted on 11/19/2010

Melissa and Doug puzzles are excellent~ I have the same issues, but find these puzzles perfect for Caden. Flaptastic books are also winners :)

Xoe - posted on 11/19/2010

My son is 20 months and i have bought him and ELC play kitchen, next size clothes, nursery rhyme books (he loves his books), little drum set. I really want to get him a magnetic board which comes as a case with letters in it, to help learn letters sounds and spelling (obviously not a toy but something that you and little one can do together)

Christina - posted on 11/18/2010

We are getting out son a Cozy Coup car. He just LOVES them and I can't wait to see his face when he gets it :0)

Suzanne - posted on 11/17/2010

My son is just turned 20 months and My plan is to get him a play kitchen...may sound kind of girlie but he has played with one at a friends house and he loved it. I also agree with everyone else about books.

Rachel - posted on 11/17/2010

the fisher price little people , my son loves playing with them putting them places and they are somethign that he can play with when he is older too

Melinda - posted on 11/16/2010

I love Leap pad stuff.. they have my first leap pad-- which my 20 month old plays with his brothers!! These leappad products are durable, educational and provide entertainment for years. Plus, these are something you can play with her, or she can use by herself!!
Melinda

Joanna - posted on 11/15/2010

My DD is also a March 09 bubs, and Her main present(s) is a doll set - doll, cot, stroller, high chair, potty, change table etc... This is mainly due to the fact #2 is arriving early Jan, and we know she is going to want to join in everything I do with him.

In her stocking:

Toxic free paints
Toxic free plasticine
Strawberry scented bubbles
Some balloons
A fairy costume
Play jewellery
Some hair clips
Some small books
A puzzle
Hair clip holder
An embroidered cloth nappy (diaper)
Cloth nappies - for her doll
A travel drawing kit

My daughter very rarely watches TV, so no DVDs here, but I think I might buy a couple of CD's as she loves dancing. We started buying everything during the sales in July, so have been collecting bits along the way.

From her grandparents (to give you some more ideas):

A convertible tricycle that we can push her on/she can ride as she gets older
A sandpit with some toys.
A seesaw that can be used for 1 or 2 kids (very clever!)
A slide

Hope that helps :)

Jasmine - posted on 11/15/2010

We plan on getting our daughter items she needs (ie. winter clothes) an educational/creative toys (i.e. legos, washable crayons and coloring books, Elmo Potty Video, etc). She is learning something new everyday so we want to keep the learning going.

Katherine - posted on 11/11/2010

I was going to say books also. Maybe some markers. Crayola has marker for 18mo, and you can get some drawing paper too. Maybe some fingerpaints and playdough? My daughter loves playdough. Chalk and a chalkboard? She loves that also. All supervised of course.

Jennifer - posted on 11/10/2010

How about books or other educational items? My son loves to read and he enjoys shows like Blue's Clues and Wonder Pets. How about clothes or bedding, as well? Your daughter may not like them, but they are practical gifts. My son is getting a new bed, so I told my mom he wants bedding for Christmas. He has so many toys!